Piotr Zielinski has taken seven shots across the two Euro 2024 games so far, with one shot against Netherlands, and six shots against Austria.

Looking into those shots, two were directly from free kicks, one from a corner, and the other four from open play. Six of the seven shots were from outside the box.

Against France, Poland will find it difficult to penetrate the defensive lines and get into the box. It, therefore, makes sense to back Zielinski, who has a propensity to try his luck from distance, and a fantastic shot record to match. The Napoli man pulled the trigger in seven out of nine starts in the Euro qualifiers.

Marcus Thuram shifted into a central role to fill the void left by Kylian Mbappe for France last time out. Against the Netherlands, he was presented with two clear shooting opportunities, narrowly missing the target with both.

Prior to that, in round one, Thuram racked up five shots against Austria, and hit the target twice. He has shown an affinity to pop up in good scoring positions, and a willingness to shoot.

Poland have conceded five goals in their two games so far, a signal of their defensive weakness. The Poles shipped 21 shots to Netherlands in round one, and 15 shots against Austria – nine of which were on target. As Thuram sees an uptick in attacking responsibility, he should find good chances.

Poland talisman Robert Lewandowski was only fit enough to appear off the bench for a 30-minute cameo against Austria, and he seemed eager to impact the game.

He was dropping unusually deep to receive the ball, and was aggressive in his contested duels – reflected by making two fouls resulting in a caution.

Since the 2022 World Cup, Lewandowski has made a foul in seven out of nine starts for Poland, at an average of 1.07 fouls per game.

France will likely see a lot of the ball, meaning the Barcelona man will once again have to battle in his duels against two highly physical centre backs.

Antoine Griezmann was desperately unlucky not to break the deadlock against Netherlands, as he amassed five shots in total – worth 0.94 xG.

Bart Verbruggen was on hand to deny him three times in total. It was a similar story against Austria in round one, as the Atletico Madrid man spurned a chance worth 0.8 xG. Despite being wasteful so far, Griezmann has shown a propensity to get into the right positions to score.

Poland have been amongst the leakiest defences at the competition so far, conceding three to Austria, and two to Netherlands. It’s an ideal opportunity for Griezmann to capitalise, especially as he takes up a lot of the attacking burden in the absence of Mbappe.

France drew 18 fouls from Austria in round one, and 27 tackles in what was a tightly-contested battle. Against Netherlands, Les Bleus forced 13 infringements from Netherlands, getting over the required line in two out of two games so far at the Euros.

Poland were able to match the intensity of Austria in Berlin, and made 15 fouls. In both games so far, Poland have been quite aggressive in their press, as opposed to sitting in a low block.

This could be the final Euros tournament for Robert Lewandowski, and the 35-year-old will be looking for some sort of parting gift.

Although the veteran striker might be nearing the end of his career, his talent and goalscoring prowess is undeniable – 81 goals in 150 games has earned him the title of Poland’s all-time leading goalscorer.

Lewandowski was on the scoresheet when the Poles last faced France, as he netted a 99th minute spot kick. Although Poland were already 3-0 down by that point, the striker can be clinical, and will look to repeat that feat in familiar surroundings – back in Dortmund.